CALIFORNIA RESEARCH BUREAUCALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARYStudies in the News

California -- One Hundred and Fifty Years Ago

1853 - "In 1853 a mammoth project was proposed to raise the city (of Sacramento) above the flood level.... In 1850 the city experienced its first devastating flood and again in 1852, the city was wiped out by high water.... The daring scheme to raise the street level 12 feet can be seen throughout Old Sacramento under the boardwalks and in its basements. " www.oldsacramento.com/brochure.pdf

1853 - "In 1853 the Williamson railroad survey crew visited a rancheria in Tehachapi Valley whose inhabitants spoke Kawaiisu. This would probably have been the settlement visited by Father Garces in 1776.... A second rancheria some three miles to the east was also reported in Tehachapi Valley in 1853. This may have been the historic village located near the modern site of the cement plant at Monolith. Just to the east were two rancherias, Maa aputs and Nettle Springs, in the Sand Canyon area. Near the latter was an important sacred site, Tomo kahni. " http://fp3.antelecom.net/vredenb/history/garces.ht

Studies in the News is a very current compilation of items significant to the Legislature and Governor's Office. It is created weekly by the State Library's Research Bureau to supplement the public policy debate in California’s Capitol. To help share the latest information with state policymakers, these reading lists are now being made accessible through the State Library’s website. This week's list of current articles in various public policy areas is presented below.

Service to State Employees:

When available, the URL for the full text of each item is provided.

Items in the State Library collection can be checked out to state officials and staff.

Access to all materials listed will be provided by the State Information Reference Center, either by e-mail to cslsirc@library.ca.gov or by calling 654-0261.

["At the request of the CAPITOL Institute, California Research Bureau staff assembled a bibliography of selected articles on public policy topics of interest to Assembly standing committees. Most of these materials are easily accessible from libraries and on-line sources."]

["Although California spends 12 times more on prisons now than in 1980, the increased spending and tough-on-crime laws have done little to make the state or Los Angeles County safer according to the report. Crime already was decreasing in the state before lawmakers poured millions of dollars into building 24 prisons between 1980 and 2003, and passed laws such as 'three strikes, you're out' sentencing, according to the report." Los Angeles Daily News (April 17, 2003) 1]

["The National Crime Victim's Survey is the Nation's second largest ongoing household survey. Survey data tell us how many rapes, sexual assaults, robberies, assaults, thefts, household burglaries, and motor vehicle thefts U.S. residents age 12 or older and their households experience each year."]

["This memorandum provides technical documentation and estimates or links to files containing adjusted population estimates for Census 2000. These adjusted estimates ... are provided for states, counties and places. A brief explanation of the source and limitations of the data is also provided."]

["The San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank said that the regional economy 'hit the pause button' in the first three months of the year as consumers and businesses reined in spending in the lead-up to war with Iraq.... The report from the regional Fed bank -- whose district covers nine Western states, including California, and makes up nearly a fifth of national gross domestic product -- also cautioned that the states' budget problems pose 'significant challenges'." Los Angeles Times (April 4, 2003) 1.]

["Time-inconsistency can affect more than just the average rate of inflation that prevails in the economy.... It can influence how policymakers respond to shocks and how resources are allocated through time. This Economic Letter looks at time-inconsistency, describing why the same mechanisms that can lead to higher average inflation also can hamper policymakers' efforts to keep inflation stable."]

["This report focuses on several new findings about those who say they do not use the Internet.... While 42% of Americans say they don't use the Internet, many of them have either been internet users at one time or have a once removed relationship with the Internet through family or household members."]

["Globilization has helped the Bay Area reemerge as a leading actor on the world stage, and its challege now is to stay there. This is no easy task because the Bay Area's recent success has overburdened its infrastructure and threatened its famed quality of life and thus its competitive edge. This report examines the forces that have led to the region's success and examines what needs to be done to ensure that this success continues."]

["Lawmakers in New Hampshire and Hawaii are considering measures that would let their states walk away from footing the bill for ... No Child Left Behind.... Iowa, New Jersey, North Dakota, Tennessee and Washington are among states that have resolutions calling for more federal funding to help implement the new testing and learning standards required by the federal education law."]

["Preliminary figures for new freshmen from California show a continued rebound for under-represented minorities after a sharp drop in 1998, when a ban on affirmative action was imposed. However, African American admissions fell at the two most selective campuses -- UC Berkeley and UCLA. And American Indian and Latino admissions also declined slightly at UCLA." San Francisco Chronicle (April 18, 2003) A21.]

["The report ... reveals that only 17 percent of twelfth graders were at or above the proficient level.... Data indicates that the number of bachelor's degrees conferred between 1989 and 2000 ... declined by 11.6 percent in engineering, 15.3 percent in engineering-related technologies, and 7.5 percent in architecture and related programs." Cadence (April 1, 2003) 10.]

["This report presents data on the demographic and employment characteristics of the nation's doctoral scientists and engineers.... The Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR) is a longitudinal demographic survey of science and engineering doctorate holders conducted for the National Science Foundation and for other federal agencies."]

["California cannot require city and county governments to submit to binding arbitration during labor disputes with law enforcement officers and firefighters, the California Supreme Court ruled.... The court held that the law permitting binding arbitration violated a state constitutional provision that forbids the Legislature from delegating municipal functions to a private party." Los Angeles Times (April 22, 2003) 1.]

["Future demographic trends include a doubling of the nation's retiree population and only modest labor force growth, leading to concerns about retirement income adequacy for future generations.... Experts ... cited priorities for improving retirement data that fit into two broad categories: obtaining better data from employers on employee benefits and obtaining better data by linking more individual and household surveys with administrative data."]

Renewable Energy: Strategic Opportunities for the Great Central Valley. By Collaborative Economics. Prepared for New Valley Connexions, Great Valley Center. (The Center, Modesto, California) March 2003. 42 p.

["A study released by the Great Valley Center underscores the potential for the Central Valley to become a leader in renewable energy - and the barriers to its success.... If the Valley used farm byproducts that otherwise would pollute the environment, it could chip away at its worsening air pollution and help meet the power needs of a population that will more than double to 12 million people in the next 20 years, the report notes.... Among the barriers: large capital investment demands for new technologies, the high cost of renewable energy compared to fossil fuels and the lack of workers skilled in renewable energy development." Sacramento Bee (April 10, 2003) D1.]

["California generates 10 percent of its electricity using solar power, wind and other renewable resources, making it the leader among the states. But more needs to be done to reduce the state's dependence on coal, oil and nuclear power, said a report released by an environmental advocacy group.... The report says California has the capability of producing 81 percent of its electricity using renewable resources. The state already is committed to producing 20 percent of its energy using renewable resources by 2017." San Diego Union Tribune (April 17, 2003) 1.]

Control of Emissions of Air Pollution from Nonroad Diesel Engines and Fuel: Prepublication release. By the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (The Agency, Washington, DC) April 15, 2003.

["The Environmental Protection Agency proposed to force tractors, bulldozers and other diesel vehicles that do not run on roads to cut their harmful exhausts by 90% or more. The new regulations, if imposed after public comment, would have a dramatic impact on air quality, particularly in such pollution-choked regions as Los Angeles and California's San Joaquin Valley. Although relatively few in number, these vehicles, which are only modestly regulated, account for 44% of the particulate matter, or soot, and 12% of the smog-producing nitrogen oxides from all vehicles nationwide." Los Angeles Times (April 16, 2003) A26.]

["The government's moratorium on new listings under the federal Endangered Species Act is illegally endangering a rare California amphibian, environmental groups claim in a lawsuit....The service decided in January that even though the frog merits protection, the service's employees and budget already are devoted to responding to other endangered species lawsuits. 'We agree the species is in trouble,' said service spokeswoman Patricia Foulk. 'But as of now, this is one more species that is, frankly, a victim of the litigation battles.'" " Associated Press (April 1, 2003) 1.]

["Water scarcity is the primary threat to five of the rivers ... Scientists warn that shortages will worsen as we enter a century of increasing demands of fresh water and climatic uncertainty. Left unchecked, these problems will threaten virtually every river in every region of America. However, decisive action by the nation's leaders now can still prevent many future crises."]

["Lawmakers ran up the highest tab ever on pork-barrel spending for the 2003 federal budget, a watchdog group said. The nonpartisan government watchdog group released its annual 'Pig book,' describing what it considers the most egregious examples of so-called congressional pork-barrel spending." Press Enterprise (April 10, 2003) B4.]

["Weak financial controls at Los Alamos National Laboratory allowed about $14.6 million in questionable charges for meals, travel and inadequate internal audits in the last three years.... Inspector General Gregory Friedman recommended that the Energy Department require UC to repay any of the $14.6 million found to be unallowable after further review and to improve its system of financial controls." Los Angeles Times (April 22, 2003) 1.]

["The Drug Courts Program Office (DCPO) established initiatives to quantify the courts' needs for information technology and evaluation training and technical assistance, and to develop training and technical assistance solutions to address drug court priority needs. This report documents that quantification ... and identifies a series of proposed DCPO initiatives."]

["Despite the increase in bioterrorism preparedness across the United States, the country's public health system still has major gaps and could be overwhelmed if there is a significant increase in cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome, experts testified.... Shortcomings related to SARS included that many hospitals lack the capacity to respond to large-scale outbreaks." United Press International (April 9, 2003) 1.]

["According to the 37 states and 2 territories that responded to the survey, a total of $347.7 million in homeland security funding has been provided by the federal government for fiscal years 1999-2000. As of March 28, 2003 approximately $263.2 million or 76% of the funds have been expended or obligated by states. Most of the remaining 24% are in the process of being obligated."]

["While the number of genetic and metabolic disorders included in state newborn screening programs ranges from 4 to 36, most states screen for 8 or fewer disorders.... States consider criteria, such as whether the disorder is treatable ... and the cost of the screening for additional disorders."]

["Much like in previous years, Medicare+Choice plans have continued to raise premiums and beneficiaries' cost-sharing, while at the same time limiting coverage of supplemental benefits such as prescription drugs coverage.... Those imposing an annual limit of $500 (for prescription drugs) or less increased to 20.5 percent in 2003 from 16 percent in 2002. Two of those plans require 70 percent coinsurance, while the third plan has a prescription drug deductible of $6,250."]

["Legislation moving through Congress could save California more than $1 billion annually in paying for prescription drugs for its senior or disabled citizens on both Medicare and Medicaid, according to a study."]

["During the past three years, the value of Medicare HMOs has noticeably declined. Premiums, co-payments and deductibles have gone up. At the same time, benefits like prescription drugs, key to the health of many seniors, have gotten worse.... The study ranked HMO plans according to the out-of-pocket price seniors pay and the benefits they receive." Contra Costa Times (April 2, 2003) F4.]

["Report: Disease Control Weak Link in State Safety: California's public health system for control of infectious disease and possible bioterrorism is the weak link in the state's homeland defense, a watchdog agency has concluded.... The report warns of gaps among state and local agencies charged with protecting the public against old threats such as hospital infections and emerging diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS." Sacramento Bee (April 11, 2003) A3.]

["In the admission agreements analyzed, there is a pattern of omitting or misrepresenting important legal or regulatory requirements especially in the residents' rights and eviction areas. These agreements were evaluated by criteria based on law and regulation and consumer principles of full disclosure."]

["With 6.3 million California residents without health insurance in 2001, the 'free' services that hospitals provide are a crucial element of the state's safety net.... [Included are] recommendations for researchers, policymakers and hospital administrators to consider in order to address the issue of hospital uncompensated care in California."]

Flexibility Provided To States Under Housing Voucher Block Grant Would Be Accompanied By Major Constraints. By Will Fischer and Barbara Sard. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Washington, DC) Arpil 17, 2003. 6 p.

["The Administration has stated that it will submit legislation to convert the housing voucher program (sometimes known as the 'Section 8' voucher program) to a block grant to the states in 2005.... While a block grant could provide added flexibility in a number of areas, it appears this flexibility would be constrained in important ways."]

["Approximately 40 percent of children in female-headed households were poor in 2000, compared to only 8 percent of children in married, two-parent households.... As more communities and government organizations fund programs to encourage healthy marriage, researchers will be better equipped to evaluate their effectiveness on fragile families."]

["To help fatherhood programs improve services and better meet their clients needs, Social Policy Action Network has collected and written profiles of some of the most effective fatherhood programs in the country. The programs help fathers overcome barriers such as child support debt, lack of job training, and need for parenting skills. Each profile contains program contacts who can provide additional information."]

["GAO focuses on the issues that pertain specifically to a volunteer approach: (1) how voluntary plans can affect individuals; (2) how they could affect the total cost of the retirement system; and (3) how the role of educational efforts relates to the participation decision.]

The Transatlantic Partnership and the Significance of the European Union to California and Its Economy. By Guenter Burghardt, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to the United States, and others. Presented to the California Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and International Trade and the Senate Subcommittee on California European Trade Development. 1148-S. (The Committee, Sacramento, California) March 6, 2002. Various pagings.

["The EU is California's largest single investor, amounting to 46 percent, or roughly 53 percent of the total investment in the state. In terms of employment, exports to the EU provide employment to over 224,000 Californians, and EU investments support over 284,000 jobs."]

["The airline industry, facing unprecedented financial losses as a result of the economic downturn and the terrorist attacks, has taken steps to minimize losses, including reducing or eliminating service to some small communities.... At communities GAO studied in depth, financial incentives were most effective in attracting new service."]

["Thanks to new security checks, goods and people move far less easily than they once did. World trade, which bounded ahead by 7 percent a year in the 1990s, seems to have stalled.... The International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook forecast 'below-trend' growth for both sides of the Atlantic." New York Times (April 13, 2003) 6. NOTE: World Economic Outlook ... will be available for 3-day loan.]